For theme park fans, Dollywood is a must visit destination when visiting Tennessee. Enjoy an incredible stay at the Dollywood Resort, experiencing world-class attractions and soaking up the southern vibes.
You might think that Dolly Parton’s theme park is a shrine to the Queen of Country; all rhinestones and bling, but you’d be wrong. This world-class theme park located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is a large-scale immersive theme park with impressive rollercoasters set in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. Of course, the links to Dolly are apparent in the form of exhibitions, shows and her music, but the Dollywood Resort has so much more to offer, with two hotel resorts and a water park alongside the main theme park.
Disclosure: This visit to Dollywood Parks & Resorts was part of a press trip organised by Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, but as always, all views and opinions are my own.
A BUCKET LIST VISIT TO DOLLYWOOD THEME PARK AND RESORT
I’ve been a huge theme park fan since I was a teenager, always high on the adrenaline of the thrill rides and attractions. Over the years I’ve followed the progress of various parks, marking some as must-visit destinations for future adventures. High on this list was Dollywood. Firstly, who doesn’t love the legendary Dolly Parton? Secondly, over the past couple of decades, Dollywood’s expansion has included several large-scale rollercoasters making it one of the mostly highly regarded theme parks in the world.
We always enjoy immersing ourselves into the full theme park ‘resort’ experience. There are huge benefits to staying at the resort’s onsite hotels versus travelling to park each day. It allows more time to enjoy at a more leisurely pace, and with less pressure. Many theme parks now feature high-end hotels and accommodation options, as well as additional activities to enjoy outside of the main theme park. The Dollywood Resort includes two on-site hotels – Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge alongside Dollywood Theme Park and Dollywood’s Splash Country Water Park.
A GUIDE TO DOLLYWOOD THEME PARK
As theme parks go, Dollywood is incredibly beautiful. From the heavily themed areas around the park, to the planting, waterways and music, there’s a real subtle charm. Care and attention has been taken to ensure that the rides and attractions, as well as the theming, blend in with the surrounding landscapes and woodland where possible.
The theme park is made up of eleven themed areas, set in a large loop, which blend seamlessly into one another; each having attractions, dining and shopping options and well as entertainment. From the moment we stepped into the park, we were greeted with that famous southern hospitality, something which continued throughout our visit.
For guests who don’t enjoy the thrill rides, this park is a great place to visit anyway. There are plenty of spaces to relax and enjoy the surroundings, as well as a host of stores including homeware, authentic cowboy hats and even a year-round Christmas store. There’s also a beautiful chapel in the park that has a Sunday service.
THE BEST RIDES AT DOLLYWOOD RESORT
With more than 50 rides and attractions at Dollywood, from large- and small-scale rollercoasters, water rides, train rides and family-oriented fairground rides, it requires two days at least to experience the rides, enjoy the shows and spend time soaking up that Smoky Mountains atmosphere.
LIGHTING ROD | My personal favourite of all the coasters, Lightning Rod is a high-speed hybrid wooden rollercoaster located in Jukebox Junction. Themed around a 1950’s hot rod, the ride features a lift hill into a 165 foot almost vertical drop, followed by a series of high-speed twists and banked turns, packed with airtime from start to finish. It’s a wild ride.
DOLLY’S TENNESSEE MOUNTAIN HOME | It’s worth stopping by Dolly’s Tennessee Mountain Home in the Rivertown Junction area of the park. This replica of Dolly’s childhood home in nearby Locust Ridge, provides a great insight into how the family lived while she was growing up.
DOLLYWOOD EXPRESS | A leisurely ride on an authentic steam train, this 110-ton steam locomotive transports passengers on a 20-minute, five-mile journey through Dollywood and the surrounding area. With a number of railway crossings within the theme park, it’s an impressive sight, seeing and hearing the Dollywood Express make its way through, steam plumes rising above the trees, alongside the hissing and whistle sounds.
BARNSTORMER | Tucked away in the Owens Farm area of Dollywood, don’t miss this impressive swing ride. Located within a large red barn, the ride is themed around daring stunt pilots of the 1920’s. Featuring two giant pendulum arms, the ride swings to a heigh of 81 feet with 230 degrees of rotation, with only a lap-bar to hold you in. This is a seriously fun and thrilling ride, and a great spectator ride too.
TENNESSEE TORNADO | One my most anticipated rides at Dollywood Resort, Tennessee Tornado is located towards the rear of the park. This was the first large coaster installed at Dollywood during the start of their expansion in the late 1990’s. The classic coaster climbs a lift hill, before plummeting into a 128-foot drop through a tunnel into a series of twisting loops. Some of these old coasters haven’t aged so well, but having braced myself for a rough ride, I really enjoyed this one.
WILD EAGLE | Sitting at the highest point of Dollywood, this coaster soars through the air providing some epic mountain scenery. America’s first wing coaster (the seats sit either side of the track on the wings), Wild Eagle climbs to height of 210 feet before flying at speeds of up to 61mph through a series of loops and twists. The views from this ride are incredible if you’re brave enough to keep your eyes open. Be sure to listen to the area soundtrack – Dolly wrote a theme song for the ride when it opened.
FIRECHASER EXPRESS | One of Dollywood Resort’s newer rides, Firechaser Express is located within Wilderness Pass, opposite Wild Eagle. This family orientated coaster still packs a punch for children and adults with forwards and backwards sections, with an explosive surprise along the way.
MYSTERY MINE | Another of my eagerly anticipated rollercoasters, I remember watching the developments of Mystery Mine back in 2007. Heavily and intricately themed, this rollercoaster is set within a large, haunted mine, with dark ride sections, steep drops, twists and loops. Add in some special effects and some shock moments and you have one of the most impressive rides in the park.
BIG BEAR MOUNTAIN | Dollywood’s newest coaster is a family friendly ride located within the new Wildwood Grove area of the park. With three speedy launches, this expedition in search of the Big Bear is the longest rollercoaster at the theme park, with 3,990 feet of track. It’s quickly become a guest favourite and can generate long lines
DOLLYWOOD TIP: Most people tend to head counterclockwise around the park. Instead, take a left turn from the entrance and head towards Timber Canyon and Wildwood Grove first to beat the queues.
THUNDERHEAD | Last, but not least, Thunderhead is Dollywood’s classic wooden coaster. With a 100-foot lift hill and reaching speeds of up to 66mph, this is a wild ride that doesn’t let up until the brake run. I love the intensity of wooden coasters and the ‘out of control’ feeling they convey. This was a great ride to end our loop of Dollywood.
CELEBRATING THE LEGENDARY DOLLY PARTON
While the rides at Dollywood are impressive, the main attraction of course, is Dolly Parton. The legendary country music singer songwriter, actress and all-round businesswoman has strong links with the area, having grown up in the Smoky Mountains.
Dolly invested into the park formerly known as Silver Dollar City Tennessee over 40 years ago, wanting to give something back to the community she loved. Re-opening as Dollywood in 1986, the park doubled in size between then and 2010, adding more jobs to the area. Beyond Dollywood, in the cities of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, everyone seemed to have a Dolly Parton story. Whether a personal story, or a story about something that she had done to support the communities, there is such a deep love and respect for her in the area, and vice versa.
THE DOLLY PARTON EXPERIENCE AT DOLLYWOOD
Heading clockwise from Dollywood’s entrance and Show Street, passing under a rainbow of umbrellas, The Dolly Parton Experience features a collection of interactive museums, exhibits and theatre shows focused around the life and career of Dolly.
This area of the park is the only section that’s fully dedicated to Dolly, and whether a huge fan or not, the exhibits provide an insightful journey into her world. There are two exhibition buildings, one of which is adorned with a huge pink butterfly emblem; butterflies being one of her trademark logos. This building features the Songteller exhibition; an interactive walkthrough of Dolly’s life and career. The building opposite houses the ‘Behind the Seams’ exhibit, looking at Dolly’s costumes and styles through the years. As a child of the seventies and eighties, I have fond memories of Dolly’s music, films and TV appearances from those days, and have loved her ever since. To be able to walk through these rooms felt very special to me.
As well as these exhibitions, there’s an opportunity to get onboard one of Dolly’s tour buses and head to The Dreamsong Theater featuring shows such as Heartsong; a multi-sensory film taking a journey through the Smoky Mountains. Dollywood has a huge daily schedule of shows and entertainment across the park. From 50-minute theatre style productions to live music, film and outdoor solo artists, it’s worth checking the show schedule and making planes to experience some.
DINING AT DOLLYWOOD
The dining experiences at Dollywood provide a hint of southern fare as well as regular theme park food options. Whether a bite to grab on the go, or a sit-down full-service meal, there is a huge variety on offer. From the hearty southern dishes at Granny Ogle’s Ham ’n’ Beans to the Country Platters at Miss Lillian’s Mill House Restaurant, you’re spoiled for choice.
One food dish not to miss at Dollywood is the legendary cinnamon bread from The Grist Mill. The Dollywood Grist Mill was the first fully operational Grist Mill to be built in Tennessee in over a century. This beautiful and scenic spot in the theme park is home to a bakery serving the most delicious cinnamon bread, made freshly on site every day.
LOOKING TO EXTEND YOUR STAY IN TENNESSEE? HEAD OVER TO THE TENNESSEE VACATION WEBSITE TO PLAN YOUR TRIP TO THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS
VISITING DOLLYWOOD’S SPLASH COUNTRY WATER PARK
Our visit to Dollywood Resort coincided with the season opening of Dollywood’s Splash Country Water Park. Voted one of the top 10 water parks in the country, Splash Country is a great spot to spend a sunny morning in the Smoky Mountains. Surrounded by woodland and a mountain backdrop, Splash Country features a number of water slides, some of which are high speed thrill slides and others child friendly. Alongside the slides, there’s a 25,000 square foot wave pool and a 1,500 foot long lazy river experience.
With a number of dining options and gift stores at Splash Country, we spent a few hours riding the slides, soaking up the sun and enjoying the surroundings, before heading back to the theme park. Dollywood’s Splash Country has a number of seasonal events including Neon Nights, running on select Fridays and Saturdays during the summer months. The event runs from 7.30pm to 10.30pm with high-energy music and neon light shows.
STAYING AT DOLLYWOOD’S DREAMMORE RESORT
Boasting Smoky Mountain views, porches with rocking chairs and plenty of space to relax, Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort is the perfect place to unwind after a busy day at the theme park. With over 300 rooms, this large resort hotel was the first hotel opened at Dollywood in 2015. Set in 100 acres, the resort retains that Tennessee charm, with quiet corners to relax, beautifully landscaped outdoor areas and most of all, impeccable customer service.
We spent four nights at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort & Spa, using it as a base for visiting both Dollywood and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Located a short drive north from Pigeon Forge, the quiet setting of the DreamMore Resort is only minutes away from both Dollywood theme park and Dollywood’s Splash Country water park. With Dollywood’s second hotel, Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge, just up the road, we made sure to visit both so that we could get a more rounded feel for the resort in as a whole.
THE ROOMS AT DOLLYWOOD’S DREAMMORE RESORT
There are a wide range of room styles at DreamMore resort, from Standard Rooms to Suites, sleeping between two and six guests. Standard Rooms are configured with either a King Bed or two Queen beds, with some rooms also having bunks. The Suites also have a number of different configurations to provide a little more space than the Standard Rooms. For the ultimate Dolly Parton experience, there are two great options. The Dolly Parton Suite is a luxurious penthouse apartment with designs inspired by Dolly Parton herself, or for something a little more quirky, Dolly Suite 1986 is one of Dolly’s tour buses, located at the DreamMore Resort, where guests can stay in the luxuriously fitted out motor coach, full of Dolly memorabilia.
Our stay was in Double Queen room, with views across to Dollywood’s Splash Country and the Great Smoky Mountains. With two Queen beds, the room also included desk space, a TV, refrigerator and safe. There was ample clothes storage space and the bathroom included a tub, and a separate WC. Stylishly but subtly decorated, the decor featured bright splashes of colour as well as artwork depicting guitars and butterflies, as a reminder of where we were. The bed runner featured butterfly motifs, with a lovely quote – put wings on your dreams, which was very fitting to our surroundings.
A LOOK AROUND THE HOTEL
A bridge across a trickling stream led onto a wooden porch and into the lobby area, with the check-in desks to one side and a seating area to the other, featuring a large portrait of Dolly centre-stage on the wall. This level of the building also featured two more lounge areas, one with a large stone chimney breast, as well as a concierge desk, gift store and DM Pantry – a grab and go restaurant and store serving Starbucks coffee alongside takeaway sandwiches, pastries, ice cream and candy.
A staircase led down to a double-height bright space overlooking the outdoor pool area to the rear of the building. This space featured more tributes to Dolly, with a corridor wall adorned with another large portrait alongside her collection of records and albums mounted on the wall. There was also a wooden box on display in glass case featuring an unreleased Dolly Parton song – the box due to be opened on Dolly’s 100th birthday.
Stepping out to the rear of the DreamMore Resort, a large outdoor pool area was the perfect spot to while away an hour or two after spending some time at the theme park. Surrounded by sun loungers and outdoor seating, pathways led to quieter seating areas surrounded by beautiful landscaping. With firepits and deckchairs being the perfect spot to heat up some S’mores in the evenings, there was also the covered Camp DW area offering children’s activities.
DINING AT DOLLYWOOD RESORT HOTELS
During our four-night stay at Dollywood Resort, we dined at both resort hotels, to ensure we had a rounded experience. Walking between both resort hotels took around fifteen minutes at a leisurely pace, but the complimentary Trolley service also travelled between both resorts as well as the parks.
DreamMore Resort featured SONG & HEARTH: A SOUTHERN EATERY, alongside THE LOUNGE. Song & Hearth was a beautiful restaurant space with a number of dining areas, the main room featuring a large stone hearth. A buffet style restaurant, the breakfast offering was varied with a pancake station, omelet station and a chef station serving typical breakfast offerings including some classic southern dishes such as biscuits and gravy. The dinner service at Song & Hearth was also buffet style, with a changing daily menu offering. Both breakfast and dinner buffets had a huge variety of dishes, all freshly cooked with delicious flavours. The Lounge was a perfect stop for a pre- or post-dinner drink, and food was also available here.
The HeartSong Lodge and Resort had a completely different feel to DreamMore Resort. This grand mountain lodge style hotel featured a large four-storey atrium lobby with a large fireplace and a comfortable lounge area. A pre-dinner drink at the ACOUSTIC LOBBY provided the opportunity to relax in luxurious surroundings while admiring a range of Dolly Parton memorabilia. Dinner was served in the main restaurant – EMBER & ELM: TASTES ROOTED IN THE SMOKIES. This full service restaurant featured a varied and creative menu packed with locally-sourced ingredients and influences. With a selection of biscuits to start, the menu featured a range of shareables, appetizers and entrees, many of which has that strong southern flare.
VISIT THE DOLLYWOOD WEBSITE TO VIEW ALL HOTEL AND PARK INFORMATION
THE BENEFITS OF STAYING ONSITE AT DOLLYWOOD RESORT
Both hotels at Dollywood offer a high-end resort experience, from the surroundings to the impeccable service provided by staff across the board. As well as being the closest accommodation options to the theme park and water park, there are a range of resort privileges that make staying on resort a smooth and streamlined experience.
TROLLEY TRANSPORTATION | Dollywood Resorts offer a complimentary Trolley service between both resort hotels, Dollywood Theme Park and Dollywood’s Splash Country Water Park. Starting before the parks open, the Dolly Trolleys run on a continuous cycle from the hotels to the theme parks throughout the day, so there’s very rarely a long wait for transportation. The drivers provide entertaining narrative along the way, offering useful tips for visiting the parks before dropping guests off close to the park entrance.
TIMESAVER PASSES | A godsend on the busier days, a complimentary TimeSaver Pass is included for each day you visit to either Dollywood or Splash Country. The standard TimeSaver Pass provides five expedited entries to any of the participating attractions and includes priority seating to certain shows. Note: There are some attractions which are excluded from the TimeSaver Pass due to capacity. There are also TimeSaver Plus and TimeSaver Premium Passes available, and the complimentary pass can be upgraded to either of these for a fee.
GOLDEN HOUR | During the first hour that the park is open, the TimeSaver Pass offers unlimited access to attractions which does not use up the allocation above.
PACKAGE DELIVERY | Packages and gifts bought at Dollywood Theme Park can be purchased and delivered directly to the hotel and collected at front-desk on return.
COMPLIMENTARY RESORT SELF PARKING | There is no charge to park at the hotels when staying over. Valet parking is also available for a nominal fee.
COMPLIMENTARY PREFERRED PARKING AT DOLLYWOOD | For guests who prefer the flexibility of driving to the theme park, resort guests can use the Preferred Parking Lot at Dollywood, located near the park entrance.
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